New Album 'Curiosities' Available November 12
<a href="https://bastardjazz.bandcamp.com/album/curiosities">BUY ALBUM</a> (CD, Vinyl, Digital)
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/curiosities/id732812842">BUY ON iTUNES</a>

Bastard Jazz Recordings is proud to present the sophomore album Curiosities by New Zealand multi- instrumentalist and producer Lord Echo (aka Mike Fabs). An enticing sonic excursion that effortlessly transcends genre and geography, the release finds Echo flexing his dual-mastery of 60's production techniques and modern dancefloor aesthetics, while also highlighting the vocal prowess of his soulful compatriots through a flowing blend of boogie-laced Funk, disco-primed Dub, futuristic Soul, and timeless African rhythms.

Fabs, known worldwide for his production work with NZ’s biggest Reggae export The Black Seeds, drew a groundswell of excitement around his debut solo album Melodies in late 2010. The independent release became a cult classic strictly through word-of-mouth, championed by tastemakers like Gilles Peterson (who played it repeatedly on his BBC Radio 1 show), Oliver Wang (Soulsides) and Richard Dorfmeister. Re-issues of the album soon followed in Japan and Europe, with vinyl copies quickly becoming a hot commodity among discerning collectors around the globe. Echo was introduced to Bastard Jazz’s DJ DRM in 2011 (via Detroit producer Recloose), and a limited 7” vinyl release on the Brooklyn-based imprint soon followed in 2012, precipitating this full length release with the label.

Curiosities picks up right where Melodies left off, with the sun-drenched psychedelic dub sounds of tracks like “Bohemian Idol” (featuring vocals by Toby Laing of Fat Freddy's Drop), and the jerky funk vibes of cuts like “Digital Haircut” and “Street Knowledge”. The album provides a wealth of DJ fodder, with forward thinking 70s-inspired disco tunes such as “Molten Lava” (featuring the soaring vocals of Leila Adu), as well as analog Afro-infused burners like “What Is That Feeling” and “Put It In My Head” (complemented by the golden-voiced Mara TK of Electric Wire Hustle fame). Down-home spiritual jazz/electronic meanderings ("Ghost Hands", “Arabesque”) provide a counterpoint to Echo's driving cover-version of the Pharoah Sanders & Leon Thomas classic “The Creator Has a Master Plan”. His inspiring take on the track is uplifted by the soulful singing of Lisa Tomlins (who's notable vocals on Echo’s rendition of Sister Sledge’s “Thinking Of You” made it a standout hit from his Melodies album).

The finely-tuned collaborations throughout Curiosities underscore Lord Echo's pivotal position in the thriving New Zealand music scene. "I generally only work with people I know quite well personally", says Echo humbly. That personal and organic approach to creating his music is revealed as the album unfolds, layer by delectable layer. "I made this record primarily with DJs in mind," he continues. "They are generally people who really love music and are often obsessed with various aspects of it. I'm not making music for people for whom it's just some background noise in their lives, I'm making music for people for whom it IS their lives. And for better or worse, I guess I am one of those people."

A diverse, yet grounded LP chock full of head-turning sounds, Curiosities further pushes Lord Echo’s repertoire into the realm of the inimitable, and is sure to pique the interest of discerning music lovers from down-under to the big apple.

Buy on iTunes

Lord Echo - Street Knowledge

Next Stop Stop Soweto Vol. 4
Out March 23 2015
http://www.strut-records.com

Strut continue their acclaimed ’Next Stop Soweto’ series in March 2014 as they return to the rich archives of South African music to spotlight the fertile era of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Tightly controlled by oppressive Apartheid laws, South Africa’s music scene had nevertheless progressed into myriad new directions, embracing funk, soul, rock and disco. 

Next Stop Soweto Vol. 4 is compiled by Duncan Brooker. It will be released on CD, 2LP and digital formats with physical formats featuring sleeve notes by author Francis Gooding along with rare photos and sleeve artwork.

Kabasa - Unga Pfula A Chi Pfalo [Next Stop Soweto Vol. 4]

William Onyeabor - Love Me Now

Un Canto a Mi Tierra

New Morning (Slow Version)

Pink Fish River

Analog Africa return with another batch of wildly original Vodoun-inspired funky bliss from Benin. The West African country was busting out domestic pressings of heavy dancefloor shakers through the 60s and 70s and African Scream Contest 2 collects some of the most explosive of this wave. Label head Samy Ben Redjeb went straight to the source for these cuts, tracking down artists with the help of a former KGB agent who also happened to be in one of the hottest Afrobeat bands of the time. Luckily this sleuthing was focused on a positive goal, helping to revive this bubbly bouncer from Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou and thirteen other stellar songs. Frosty premiered ‘Moulon Devia’ on Open End, his world-whirling weekly Red Bull Radio program. Tune-in every Monday for more!

@analog-africa
@freeform-frosty
http://redbullradio.com/shows/open-end-frosty
http://redbullmusicacademy.com

African Scream Contest 2

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - Moulon Devia [Open End Premiere]

Nat Birchall comes together with dub master, multi-instrumentalist Al Breadwinner Redfern and legendary Jamaican trombonist Vin Gordon for a heavenly 10-track voyage of instrumental Roots Reggae. Read more @ https://wp.me/p471L0-8Yg

Nat Birchall &  Al Breadwinner -In The Hills (TS Premiere)

Atlantic Oscillations

Is It Your Intention

Kit Sebastian are back with a special stand- alone 7” release that presents an appetising taster of what is to follow from their much-anticipated sophomore album.

After losing themselves in the magic of the French countryside to record, the band have delivered two gems that we initially thought were a soupçon of the said new album. In fact, though recorded during the same sessions, they felt these tracks were best served up as an aperitif to the album.

Francis Lai, Vladimir Cosma, Fikret Kızılok, Jane Birkin, and Selda Bağcan all served as inspirations during the recording sessions. Though their idols can be heard in ‘Ennui’ & ‘Abandoned’, the fusion of Anatolian Psychedelia, Brazilian Tropicalia, 60’s European pop and psych-folk vibes result in a sound that is drenched in their unique signature style and can only come from Kit Sebastian. The beautiful, heartfelt, longing vocals on both ‘Ennui’ & ‘Abandoned’’, makes it hard for the listener to resist falling in love with the world of Kit Sebastian and they leave the heart longing even more for their next longplayer to drop.

Kit Sebastian - Ennui

The dance orientated sound of British musician, producer and DJ Will “Quantic” Holland has enchanted fans and tastemakers across the world for nearly two decades.

Is It Your Intention

quantic

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